Careful what you wish for
by Offcentercompass
Summary: Crack, smutty one shot. Regina tries to fix one problem and ends up with a different one. Comedy hints, even got some angst and character analysis in there. Season 2, SwanQueen.


I ought to be updating several in progress fics, so what do I do instead? I write some crack smutty angsty one shot. At least this one kind of has a plot...

Sorry if you are waiting for me to update one of the other stories, hope to get my muse back on soon. Hope this tides you over. It kind of grew out of all proportion and the idea was sketchy at best to begin with - that's how you get a smutty angsty crack one shot if anyone was wondering.

Own nothing – not for profit and all that jazz.

Set in Season 2, can't seem to move on, as that is when I feel SwanQueen was most likely, before the ladies found themselves attached.

Please let me know your thoughts, as always, enjoy.

* * *

Regina pursed her lips and blew a frustrated breath through them. She was out of sorts and the drink she was cradling, swirling it occasionally to see the crystal catch the light, was only taking a slight edge off it. The ice hit the side of the glass and the clunk it made set her teeth on edge, her patience stretched too thin and everything annoying her.

She needed to get laid. That was the conclusion she was rapidly coming to after she had been getting steadily more snappy and irritable. And she was known to be quite irritable anyway so it was hardly surprising her son was now keeping his distance.

She hadn't even meant to lose her temper, it had just happened. One minute she was drinking her coffee in the diner, listening to Henry explain his way through his day. She had been eager to sit with him and buy him a burger and he was eager to talk about his day. If she tried hard she could convince herself he didn't mind her being there to listen.

She needed this connection and time with her son, not that she would ever admit it. It didn't help that Henry didn't seem to realize how hard their separation was on her. He thought she was cold hearted and didn't care but in reality she was twisted up in knots from missing her son. Even his stroppy behaviour before the curse was better than the loneliness and the empty house.

But this was all she had been allotted, a quick lunch date, so she grasped it desperately. Time with her son was the only thing helping her resist the temptation of magic and his smile kept some of the darker and more disturbing thoughts away. Not all of them, of course. She could still happily retreat into her imagination and envision causing bodily harm to some of the less pleasant members of town.

And then one of them had walked past her table. Whale looked at her smugly, looking down at her because she was seated. His face radiated superiority and she could practically hear the splash of his distain as it hit the chequered tiled floor of the diner. His face, one she had never found appealing or understood why women found him attractive, looked even more unpleasant as it was twisted up in hatred, the scorn practically dripped from it.

And suddenly she had drowned Henry's chatter out as her pride had reared up. She refused to be laughed at, belittled. Especially from this man who had made fatal mistakes and played god, had inflicted hurt on the ones he loved. He had no right to judge her, unlike some of the peasants she had transported to this world, ones who were innocent, Whale was no such thing. He had lied to her, manipulated, made deals with the devil and now he wanted to pretend he was better than her?

She had stood to glare at the man, to remove the smug expression, to scare him into leaving. She just wanted some time with her son, was that really too much for this small minded town to comprehend? She wanted to be left alone and she was good at getting what she wanted.

But her glare didn't get her the desired results, the odious man just stood his ground. He wasn't afraid of her anymore, he was just obnoxious and thought she was powerless. He was foolish, Regina knew she had made mistakes, she had allowed her mother and Rumple to manipulate her and for many years she had thought she was powerless. She had stayed with the King, biting her tongue and then spent years chasing after the blood of Snow White without success. But through all of it, she had made the choices, she had actually had power over herself. She had just been blinded to it, firstly by her grief for Daniel, then her self-pity over her situation, and then by anger and her vengeance. She had been deliberately distracted by her mother and Rumple, both she thought were guiding or forcing her into situations, and they were, but she had free will, there were other options and choices she could have made. She saw that now, and she knew even with her curse broken and the hatred of the town against her, she wasn't powerless.

She never had been and she never would be. She was strong, she was a fighter, her life wasn't a happy tale, but she kept going. But no-one cared about her reasons, her suffering, so she had shown them the indifference they kept showing her. And now Whale wanted to interrupt her day, wanted to start something? His attitude made her so angry. She knew it was irrational, but her rage had been building for days, weeks even, since the stupid blonde had thrown herself into the damned hat.

Because somehow, Emma bloody Swan had wormed her way into Regina's thoughts. She had rocked up in her hideous yellow car, cheap red jacket and ridiculously tight fitting clothing and upset the careful order of things. She had agitated Henry, she had disturbed the peace of the town and she had offered the Mayor something that had been sorely missing from her life. She offered a challenge, she created a sense of excitement, because one thing Emma wasn't was predictable. She kept Regina on her toes, kept her second guessing, she got up in her personal space. She took the Mayor's crap and managed to turn it back round on her, all the while smiling and making friendships within the town.

Yes, the irritating blonde pushed Regina's buttons in a way no-one in this world had, and somewhere deep down the brunette respected that. She had been made to take notice of someone else, someone who was neither her son nor the insipid Mary Margaret. Emma was on her radar and not long after the blonde had rolled into town she had found herself acting on that fact.

She had allowed the woman into her space, she had flirted, and she had shown a little more flesh than she would normally. Her heels, always designer and always smart, became fuck-me versions, making her legs look longer and more inviting. Her blouses may have been picked to be more shear or have just enough buttons to barely cover her bosom. Her skirts, always on the more dangerous side of business attire may have become shorter, tighter, or slit up the side to show a little thigh from time to time.

And Emma had noticed and pushed back, flirting, getting as close as Regina had, eyes locked and chests heaving until the inevitable happened. After that it didn't matter who had started it, or who they were or even who they were destined to be. They had fallen into an explosively passionate, often times angry, sexually charged relationship. One where orgasms were hard fought for but were always fulfilling. Lips and teeth were used to inflict pain as well as pleasure and neither of them knew if they had the upper hand. Regina liked to think she did, but when she was alone at night afterwards, she often wondered.

She had come to the conclusion several months ago that they were bad for each other and she should never have given in to her libido, and yet somehow the fucking continued. Maybe they were just a pair of sadists, waiting to see how spectacularly this could explode and hurt everyone. And it wasn't just themselves this would damage. Regina knew the fallout would be devastating, from Snow and Charming, to the friends Emma had made, who wouldn't ever understand why the good, honest and true Saviour was bedding The Evil Queen. The then Mayor couldn't give a hoot about those people, Emma would have to make her own excuses, but Henry was bound to get caught up in it, and that did cause guilt to sit in her gut. Her precious boy would hate her even more if the nature of her encounters with Sheriff Swan came to light and she detested herself just a bit more for letting herself dabble with the blonde.

Unfortunately for the brunette, she had been using the sex to help keep her balanced. She took Henry's rejection in her stride because she had a vent. She took out her anger and frustration that Henry caused when he kept running from her and telling her she wasn't his real mother, out on said woman. As her curse failed and she worried about the future she was at least able to get lost for a few hours in bed with the blonde. And now, her best source of relaxation and the thing she had been using as a buffer to keep the negative and volatile emotions at bay was in another bloody land after jumping heroically through a portal. _Marvellous_ , she thought as she felt cold anger grip her, anger born from her frustration.

And then there was Whale, pushing at her, in a public place, in front of her son no less. She had risen to his bait, something unbecoming of a Queen, setting a bad example to her son and all because she hadn't had a good seeing to in weeks. It was pitiful if she allowed herself time to analyse it.

"Does David know you're out?" The doctor goaded her.

"He is not my keeper." She spat at him.

"Well he should be, all that practise at the animal shelter must be coming in useful keeping you on a leash."

The brunette felt her self-control slipping and she bared her teeth at him before snapping, "Don't push things Whale. Out of the two of us I'm not sure who David would pick. I'm not sure he's forgiven you for fucking his wife."

She then realised the profanity she had used with Henry in earshot as her son's head shot up and he looked at her with shock and embarrassment on his face. The look quickly morphed into disappointment as he slide from the booth and ran to the door, exiting the diner without looking back.

Regina saw the absence of his jacket, his half eaten burger pushed away and knew he wasn't coming back, she had ruined their time together. With nothing now to lose she felt the blood pound in her veins. Her eyes shone with hatred for the imbecilic man, who she was advancing on. He had the good sense to read the murderous look in her eyes and retreat. He stepped back from her, keeping himself from arms reach and the brunette smirked. She was definitely not powerless.

Whale also realised this fact as he turned tail and fled the diner, leaving the brunette too upset over the whole fiasco to relish her victory. She regretted losing her temper and upsetting Henry. She had precious little time with him and now it had been cut short.

Not that it mattered much, regret was her faithful companion now. Understanding she wasn't weak and powerless meant she had to accept she had chosen to fall into the role of The Evil Queen. That she was responsible for the deaths and suffering in the Enchanted Forest. That she had acted shamefully, allowing her blinding rage and anger to dim every other positive emotion. She had torn apart families, murdered countless people, tortured others, burned homes and villages for no real purpose other than she was upset, broken hearted or frustrated. She had forced her problems on to others, made them feel suffering like she was and many of them hadn't deserved it.

So yes, she lived with the regret, she wasn't proud of her past. There were some mitigating circumstances but she couldn't keep hiding. If she wanted to be forgiven and learn to live with herself she needed to accept and own her mistakes. And that meant guilt, regret and facing some very painful memories.

On top of the regret she hated that she had lowered herself to a response, she should have just ignored the doctor, he was little more than a trained monkey, and she thought him a parasite and leech.

Finally she despised herself because she was beginning to form a theory for the reason why she may have lost her control.

She was struggling, that much she already knew, not using magic, sleeping badly and not having her son there meant there was very little comfort in her life. But worse, she had too much time to think and she had thought things through to a realization that she had begun to rely on Emma.

The blonde was someone to share Henry with, to very occasionally consult with about him. Because for all Emma faults, she understood Henry and his motivations and had been useful in that regard. She was able to play video games with him, talk about school, be his friend and relax him and then explain some of the more adult or difficult things Regina had failed to communicate to him. Sometimes Emma surprised the older woman by convincing Henry that his brunette mother was right and he needed to stop his verbal tirades. Emma didn't condone his fleeing behaviour and hurtful attacks and she had been vocal in telling their son she wished he could see the woman who had raised him with love and care. Emma wanted him to see past The Evil queen and notice Regina, the woman who actually existed.

And if it wasn't about sharing their son, then Emma had also become adept at helping take some of the pressure from the Mayor about the burden of the town. She was respected as Sheriff, attended town meetings and was dependable. Regina hated the town, the people and the weight of responsibility that hung round her neck. She knew with Emma as Sheriff that was one less thing to continually check up on. Despite Regina's insults and vicious comments about Emma's ability, she could be trusted to run the Sheriff Station without Regina's interference and Regina had become grateful.

Lastly she had begun to rely on the blonde to be there as someone to warm her body and share her bed. She had helped calm the older woman, by satisfying her and replacing the anger with passion. Regina felt like herself in bed, not a tired and broken mother, a vilified Mayor or barely respected boss. She found balance between the sheets with the blonde, somewhere in the heat they created, her cold heart thawed enough that she enjoyed it and found acceptance within herself.

And when the curse broke, when she was scared for her life and thought that she had forever broken things with her son, Emma had been there. It had taken Emma some time to accept, but she had.

And Regina had needed her because she was without a job, without any respect but thankfully Emma hadn't abandoned her. There had been a hand of friendship to help her and to give her hope. She would never speak of how she had felt during the turbulent months, about the encompassing fear or the dark and depressing thoughts that plagued her when she was awake and turned into haunting dreams when she wasn't. And Emma had pulled back from the sex, but remained in touching distance, supporting the brunette as best she could while her own life underwent massive changes.

But given some time, where they both became accustomed to post curse life, Emma had given in to the pull between them and fallen back into her bed. And she had welcomed her, telling herself it was only because it was a distraction from the shit heap that her life had become.

Right now she refused to get caught up in her own head. She was in public with her blood pumping from the altercation, and it made her feel alive, but she knew that it was nothing compared to how Emma had always made her feel. With Emma it had been visceral, instinctive. When she had tensed to attack, the blonde had tensed back, to meet her head on. Whale had just fled, he wasn't Emma, he wasn't even close. She already knew that, but the slimy man had just managed to heighten her feeling of loss. _Good god_ , Regina thought as realisation crashed over her, she was _missing_ Henry's other mother.

She took a deep breath, she could feel eyes on her from the other patrons in the diner. She refused to show any further weakness, she pulled her coat around her slim frame and held her head high as with straight back and purpose she left the food establishment, striding confidently out to the sidewalk. Only then did she let out the breath she'd been holding. She wrapped her arms round herself, an old form of protection that her mother used to criticise whenever she found Regina curled in on herself in the old world.

The brunette dropped her head and bit her lip in indecision, she wanted to go after Henry, but she knew it wouldn't be well received and he probably needed time and space to calm down. Really, when you assessed her actions she had only used her harsh and spiteful tongue, she hadn't used magic and she had been provoked. Yes, she was trying to be better, and today was nothing to be proud of, but she was certain that compared to ripping out hearts or instant death, this was something Henry could forgive quite easily.

She could only hope Henry reached the same conclusion. She knew if Emma had been here she'd help with that, whereas Charming was likely to continue to erode any good work she had managed to do with Henry in the last few days. Charming couldn't see any good in her and while that didn't bother her at all, she considered the man an idiot with idiotic views, he held sway with her son and could be telling Henry anything. She shuddered, hoping that Charming was too busy running the town to run his mouth about the fallen Queen.

She didn't want to, but she decided to give her son some time to think things over. Henry was a smart boy, she was certain that he would realize given some time that his requests about her behaviour were achievable if he would only give his mother time to change. It couldn't be an immediate and fairy-tale fix, she was human and bound to make some mistakes and hopefully Henry would recognise that.

* * *

As she walked home in the chill of the Maine air, she was able to convince herself it wasn't Emma she was missing, it was just the physical release she missed. It was just a need for sex, she was frustrated, but she could take care of it herself. She'd have to, there was no-one else. Graham had been her stable go to, but he was long gone now. Emma had been a surprise, but if she hadn't come along there was no-one else in town she was even remotely interested in. Ruby was nice to look at, as was Charming and she could actually talk candidly with Archie, but she had no spark or desire to bed them. Even her brief flirtation with Charming last year had been from loneliness and rested heavily that he was Snow's husband and it would have driven a wedge between them if the curse had broken. He wouldn't be her choice of lover, so she resigned herself to a night of drinking and then touching herself to take the edge off her need. She knew from experience that it was never as good as when a partner was involved. She enjoyed kissing, being kissed, licking, biting, having her nipples enveloped by a warm mouth and worshipped by a foreign tongue. She liked not knowing quite how she would be touched. Whether it would be soft, delicate, teasing, or hard and rough as she writhed in pleasure, gasping at the intensity and passion.

Not that it mattered, she'd just have to make do with her own hand, as she had many times before. It wasn't like people had ever queued up to bed The Evil Queen. Most of her conquests, and they were conquests, because they had usually involved questionably compliant partners, tinged with a slice of violence. Not that as Queen she had stopped to care as long as she was getting satisfying sex.

If she hadn't been blinded by her rage she might have stopped and questioned her behaviour, looked for something softer, with more meaning than a quick fuck. But she hadn't, it had never crossed her mind that taking advantage for her own twisted desires was pushing her further down the dark path, turning her into copies of people she hated, people like her husband or her mother.

And if the sex wasn't for her benefit, well ultimately it benefitted her somehow. It might not have been physically fulfilling, but it had provided an end goal or dominance. She shuddered as she thought that until Emma, no-one had chosen her bed willingly. There had been duty with The King, their goal to provide an heir for the kingdom. Or there were the times it was to satisfy his need, but she could have been any cheap whore laying under his rutting body when he was in that mood. There was no part of her that was Queen when he took her body for his pleasure, she was just a vessel being used and her name or face were not important to the man, he only wanted to spill his seed.

After him she bedded allies, but not for her pleasure, she bedded them for the gains she would get, like expanding her boundaries and safe passage through foreign lands. For a few hours, sometimes not even that long, on her back she had earned additional soldiers, horses, weapons or food stocks for her army.

Sometimes she took people as a bargain, her release came with the condition of safety for their family, or a better life for their children. She thought she was better than The Dark One but there had been times she had made deals she now recognized were wrong. She had used many women, their heads bobbing between her legs, allowing her to fist her hand in their hair and buck against their tongues and faces, causing them pain as she crested into orgasm. Their reward that she would take their children and put them into private education, or heal them of an illness, or ensure their husband wasn't posted on the front line at the ogre wars.

And Graham had never truly chosen her, there had only ever been Emma who came freely, who wanted her and just her, no sovereign duty or bargain to be struck. She sadly accepted that Emma had been her first and only lover in the truest sense of the word and that did nothing to ease her self-loathing. She had lived nearly seventy years and only in the last one had she had her first consensual experience. Her first sex that might, frighteningly, mean something.

She looked at her hands, knowing any pleasure she bought herself would be hollow and leave her maddeningly wanting more. She thought back to the times in her castle when she had wanted to fuck something and be fucked back just as hard. She had used a cloning spell, the only willing participate being herself, and the only one she trusted enough to let her guard down and her inner most desires out. So she had bitten, scratched and ultimately arched in ecstasy against a copy of her own lips. A mirror of her own fingers thrusting between her legs, pinching and tapping her clit, pulling moans from the back of her throat before she would shake and shatter in a sweaty heap to a knowing smirk and arrogant lick of full red lips.

She didn't fancy replicating that in this world, she thought the only person who would be a sexual equal was herself, and back in the Enchanted Forest that might have been true. But in the here and now, she knew better. Emma was as much her equal, knew her body and responses just as well as she did, and it was her touch the brunette was craving. Now did she have any of the younger woman's possessions to cast the spell? Blood was out, they had occasionally broken the skin with their nails but never kept the spilled liquid. Same as sweat or a stray hair, Regina was meticulous and changed the sheets often, no-one would find any evidence the blonde was ever in her bed.

But there was that night Emma had stayed in the guestroom at Henry's insistence. He had been feeling unwell and had wanted to go home with the blonde. Regina, seeing the look of horror on Emma's face had hastily suggested the blonde stay at the mansion. It was clear from the deer in the headlights expression Emma had worn that she was fine with being the cool mom, the one who bought candy, milkshakes, failed to respect bedtimes, but the minute it got serious and Henry's welfare was in the balance, she became scared and realized she might not be equipped to actually be a full time mother.

So rather than upset her sick child any further, Regina had grudgingly allowed the younger woman into her home. And now she was thanking her lucky stars she had, because in the guest bathroom there was a toothbrush that she could now use to clone the annoyingly persistent blonde. A characteristic Regina hoped her clone would also pick up, because she needed someone with persistence, she needed someone with stamina, she needed a good long session to get the kinks out of her muscles and calm the raging hormones that were setting her libido on fire. She needed the blonde, and even as she shuddered at the thought, she was walking up the stairs to the guest bath, a smile settling on her face.

* * *

Regina should have known it was too good to be true. The toothbrush had been rinsed clean, it had a fraction of the blonde on it, and so the clone was a fraction of the real Emma. It looked like her, but that was as far as the similarities went. In fact this one had none of Emma's personality, or any of her life at all. It had a fixed smile which infuriated Regina and she knew she should have saved her magic and picked a vibrator to play with instead.

The clone allowed itself to be lead to the bedroom, where Regina had looked over its naked form. It was a good copy, the muscles Emma worked hard at maintaining were defined, the eyes were the right shade, the ass was tight and it had long hair that looked silky to the touch. But it didn't respond to any command, not the whispered urging to get onto the bed, or when the brunette had raised her voice and commanded it. The clone just tipped its empty head to the side and watched the frustrated woman as she paced, waving her hands in agitation.

Regina had tried to intimidate the Emma look-a-like and got up close to it. There was none of the familiar scent of the blonde's perfume, or body wash, it was a sanitized copy that had no smell and that bothered Regina almost as much as the fact that as her eyes bored into the green before her there was no recognition, no fear, no response at all. The dopey look remained and where Regina had envisioned passionate kisses she now wanted to smack the stupid look from the blonde features.

She had instead shoved it hard and it had moved out of her way as she growled and threw herself onto the bed. The clone would last a few hours, she was glad that it would then cease to exist, melting away as if it had never been there. Even looking at it now just reminded her she had failed, again. She punched her pillow and buried her face in it as she screamed. At least there was no Henry to worry about hearing her slowly lose her sanity. Why had she thought this was a good idea?

Her traitorous body reminded her then as she took deep breathes and tried to calm.

She had strict rules in the bed chamber, she never became distracted. She also never let anyone mount her, or take her from behind, not since her husband. She needed to maintain a degree of control, usually by being on top, but if not then she needed to face her bed partners. She could then read the situation, how close they were, what she needed to do with her body to force them to climax.

And if it wasn't for that reason, then it was to see if an attack was coming. She never trusted anyone, especially if they were as power hungry as she was. She went into sexual encounters using her body as a weapon, but never letting her guard down. That would be foolish, and Regina was many things, but foolish wasn't one of them.

And yet somehow Emma had broken through her walls and bent the rules, because the last time they had been together she had been exhausted, rolling away after a particularly heavy session. She had come to rest lying face down just like now. And Emma had been recovering from just as thorough a work out, but age was on her side and she must have regained the use of her limbs quicker that the brunette.

She had jumped her, pushing her legs apart and burying her face into her folds. She had then kissed her way up from the brunette's curving ass, scraping her teeth over sensitive flesh, dropping kisses on each vertebrae as she pressed her own naked form into the brunette's one below her.

She slipped her pale skinned but well-muscled thigh between olive skinned ass cheeks, sandwiching her hand between their two bodies. She had then proceeded to gently and with measured strokes tease the brunette with two fingers. It had been more a massage, an exploration, as fingertips dipped into her heat only to withdraw and swipe further along her lower lips.

And rather than buck and squirm, rather than turning around and glaring at the insatiable woman, Regina had relaxed into the bed and allowed the touching to continue. Her mind was at war, part of her was desperate to retract from the situation, it being intimate and frightening. But another part was floating on post orgasmic bliss and actually rather enjoying the ministrations. Coupled with the sense that rather than feeling restricted and in danger, she felt trust and faith in the other woman it meant Regina's body had enjoyed the feeling of breasts pushed into her back and fingers slowly massaging her warm, wet folds before building up into shallow thrusts into her.

She had been satisfied, the previous round of sex had been frenetic and she thought she was spent. But with Emma taking her time, feathering kisses into her hair, the back of her neck, biting into her shoulder and stroking her fingers inside her she felt another orgasm creeping up on her. It wasn't going to be like their usual violent struggles, this was the blonde worshipping her. There was loyalty, devotion and belief in the younger woman's aura and Regina should have been terrified, but she ignored it instead, focusing on the pleasant sensations.

"You're gorgeous." the blonde had whispered, her breathing uneven, a signal she was as aroused and getting off on this as much as Regina was. And the admission was heartfelt and true. She sensed no lie in Emma's words and the brunette smiled, it beautifully lighting up her face. It was a shame Emma couldn't see but the humming noise of affirmation coming from the brunette's throat told her the message had been received.

And Regina had revelled in the touch, how it made her feel warm, and the pull low in her belly had intensified with each thrust of Emma's fingers. When Emma had sat back and gently coaxed her onto her knees she had complied. The blonde had snaked a hand round until she could draw slow circles on the brunette's stomach with the pads of her fingertips. Then a fair hand dipped lower, and Regina knew she was dripping, she was so wet and she didn't care how wanton it made her seem. As Emma gently rubbed at her clit she moaned, long and sensual, wanting to grind down but knowing Emma wanted this to be built up slowly, wanted it to be about her pleasure. So she stilled her hips, allowing Emma to take the lead and control the tempo.

But soon she was fighting against her body, Emma's fingers rubbing over the hood of her clit, then skimming the top of it, tantalizing, teasing around her most sensitive area. And she was unable to keep her hips still, she bucked back into the fingers thrusting into her and Emma knew want she wanted, adding a third finger and stretching her a little so she felt full as she impaled herself on the digits.

"Emma!" It was a plea, to be closer, to have more of the blonde woman, to finish quickly and all over her talented fingers.

But Emma just shushed her, kissing her neck, biting an earlobe and telling her, "All in good time."

And she could have twisted round, she could have forced the issue, but she didn't. She trusted her lover, she knew she wasn't withholding, she was just making the brunette wait and Regina knew she had patience. She knew she could do this and that it would be worth it in the end.

She had waited years to cast the curse, had stayed patient as the young and newly married queen, waited for Snow to grow and find people that mattered to her so her revenge would sting all the more. She had a history of waiting, so she could wait for this.

Only she didn't think even her desire to cast the curse had been as strong as the desire pounding through her then. Her heart had been hammering, her breathing irregular, almost panting as she had felt her body become sweaty like there was molten lava was in her veins. And it was being heated from her needy centre, the part of her that rolled forcefully into Emma's hands, both front and back stimulating her.

She felt herself grip Emma's fingers, riding them, the blonde plunging them deep, as in tandem she rubbed her clit with a little more purpose, a little more friction.

"You're getting wonderfully tight, you're close aren't you?" Emma breathed into her ear and she could only nod, words wouldn't form in her foggy brain or come out from her parched throat. She was close, she wanted it so badly and yet a part of her never wanted it to end. She wished she could sink into the bed and never leave, kept in a state of pleasure for eternity with Emma.

The thought was fleeting as her legs began to shake, and she was within touching distance of the bliss that would soon be crashing down around her.

"Fuck Regina, you're so sexy." Emma told her as her arms refused to bear her weight anymore and she crashed face first into the pillow. Emma scooted closer, not allowing any distance to open up as she found another gear and sped up the circular motions on Regina's clit. And then she was there, her body convulsing as she screamed into the pillow. She felt herself gush, soaking Emma's hand and beginning to run down her still trembling thighs. Her heart was slamming in her chest, breathing became an issue and she sunk back onto the bed with her limbs still twitching. Emma continued to stroke her gently before pulling away from her oversensitive body.

She had placed a kiss on the brunette's shoulder, but gave her space as her breathing finally slowed to a normal rhythm.

Regina opened her eyes, it was the same room, it was the same pillow case, only this time there was no blonde and she was screaming in frustration. Worse, she was horny and aroused from her memories. Her clit throbbed, she hadn't managed to deal with her problem and now she was stuck in a room with a piss poor copy that reminded her that the real woman was gone.

She wasn't going to go to sleep with it in the room, that was for certain. Lord knows what it might do if she closed her eyes. Probably nothing, it seemed to have no higher brain functions at all, but she couldn't risk it. The Charming's didn't seem to have higher brain functions and had still managed to capture her and nearly kill her, so you never could tell. She couldn't be bothered to lead it anywhere else, so she reached over, grabbed the nearest vibrator and took herself off to the guest bedroom. She threw a glare at the gormless blonde creature as she left the room, thinking it was pretty but that she wanted more now. When that had changed she didn't really know, but she knew it was Emma's fault. The blonde had given her a taste of more and now the simple options weren't enough for the fallen Queen.

She needed to be away from the insipid and vacant eyes, the ones that held nothing of the fire and life she wanted. Before she could allow her thoughts to turn even darker she stomped down the corridor to the guest bedroom before locking herself in.

She unbuttoned her blouse, hastily folding the fabric and putting it on the dresser. Her nipples were straining against her bra, and she quickly unclasped it and placed it with the blouse. At least her trip down memory lane has made her wet. She removed her pants and panties and crawled onto the bed, naked and hating herself for her weakness, her failure and that she was driven to this.

But none of it mattered, she wanted to come, and she wasn't about to deny herself out of stupid pride. She had done enough of that in her life already, spiting herself for no good reason except it spread the hurt and pain around. It was no fun when you got hurt as well, but she had continued with that methodology for years. Definitely her Mother's Daughter.

She had eventually learned from that, Henry had helped show her a better way. She'd take the small wins and hope they led to bigger ones, allowing herself some freedom and to actually live life.

With that in mind she mounted the vibrator without any other stimulation, sinking it deep into herself, enjoying the length and girth of it as it stretched her. The pearls round the base sprang to life, rotating and stimulating her entrance as she propelled herself forward and the vibrator slide out of her before she crashed back onto it, she needed it rough right now.

She rocked herself on the phallus, one hand holding the equipment below her steady as the other hand palmed her breast before pinching her erect nipple. She slapped the underside of her breast and pulled at the nipple, torturing herself with the pain that morphed into pleasure as she tweaked and punished her rigid peaks.

She wished she had someone under her, biting and suckling at her breasts, she wished it was fingers curling into her, but the vibrator was doing adequately. It helped she was aroused, she was sliding fully on the apparatus and clicked the clitoral stimulator on after a few more heavy strokes inside herself.

It buzzed to life, the pressure on her bundle of nerves. She pulled it away so the touch was light and teasing, keeping the vibrator just inside of herself as she shallowed out the thrusts and used her vaginal muscles to clench round it. She clicked the clit stimulator again, so it speed up and she rocked a little closer to it, feeling the massage on it rub her faster. She was so very wet, but not even close yet. As she ground her body down in the vibrator, driving it into herself over and over she heard the squelch of juices running freely from her body.

 _Such a waste_ she thought. She wanted someone to pull her close, if the blonde was here she would have attached her mouth to her womanly softness and be drinking all that moisture in. Moaning in satisfaction at the taste and the abundance of it. Her tongue would be flicking her clit with determined strokes, her hands roaming over her ass cheeks, maybe her finger teasing at her back entrance. Definitely smearing the excitement over the puckered hole and rubbing suggestively, putting all the liquid to a good use.

As it was Regina wanted to be closer to completion, she was enjoying herself, the toy was stimulating but it wasn't Emma's tongue, it wasn't in tune with her body, filling and fucking in the different ways she needed. It was one dimensional and she was beginning to plateau, her release escaping her.

She changed her rhythm, bending further over so she could rest her head on the pillows. Her hand still massaging her breast as she kicked her legs further apart. She was able to drive the phallus deeper into herself, while she scissored her legs together, her thighs pulling close around the toy. It made the head hit her where she needed it and the pearls rub against the walls of her vagina as she writhed on the sheets, pulling them from the edges of the mattress. She didn't care, she just wanted to come as she pushed the clit stimulator up to the next setting again and growled into the pillow as it made contact.

She ground down, forcing her clit hard against the silicone, rocking wantonly. She was getting closer, her stomach was getting tighter, and she felt her leg muscles beginning to quiver. When it hit it was with a whimper, her body tensed, she continued to ride the vibrator as she felt the tension snap and then relax. It wasn't an earth shattering orgasm, but she had come and switched the vibrator off as she pulled it from her body. She was breathing hard and her hair was mused from being buried in the pillow. Her heart was beating hard but she knew this was a short term fix and that she would be craving a release again in a few days.

She felt drained, but not in a good way like after she had worked out with the blonde. This was a disappointing way to end her evening but she sighed as she reached out and put the come covered toy on the dresser. She should get up and wash it but she didn't have the energy. She had reached the end of her tether with today, so she pulled the now unmade bed round herself and let sleep claim her. Tomorrow would be a new day, one without a clone, one where she would reach out to Henry and try and make things better.

* * *

She awoke with a headache. It wasn't a surprise, she often suffered if she didn't take care of her body. And she had fallen asleep last night without drinking any water, she had got sweaty and been drinking alcohol, her body had become dehydrated. Add to that an unfamiliar mattress and the harder pillows in the guestroom, it meant she had slept in a twisted and uncomfortable position. She chanced a glance at the clock, the sun was up and battling against the curtains, it was late, nearly eleven am and she knew she needed to get up. So despite feeling less than a hundred percent, she crossed to the bathroom and splashed cool water on her face. She hoped it might clear the sleepy fog from her brain.

She crept down the hallway and opened her bedroom door. She knew it was stupid, the spell could never have lasted this long, but she was still a little nervous. She breathed the biggest sigh of relief when she found her bedroom empty, the clone had disappeared as it was meant to.

She grabbed a bath towel and was already distracted with thoughts of a hot shower easing the tension in her shoulders and back as she pushed open the door to the bathroom. Then she saw it, standing at the basin looking at the glass that held her toothbrush. She jumped back, her heart hammering in her chest from the shock and surprise. Thankfully the clone appeared to be just as dim witted as it had last night and didn't even acknowledge her presence. It just stood with its arm hanging limply by its sides, the eyes focused on the basin.

Regina sighed heavily, the clone hadn't gone, it had moved itself into the bathroom almost as if it had been called there and was now transfixed on her toothbrush. Maybe it knew that was what it had been born from, Regina didn't have time to think about it nor did she really care, all she knew was that the spell had malfunctioned as the clone should be gone and it wasn't. It was taking up space, existing in her house, were it had no right to be. The only bonus was that it still appeared non-threatening, it was non everything in fact and Regina began to wonder how much of Emma it had inherited. It seemed to her to be more toothbrush than human and she decided after her shower she would go back to the spell and investigate further.

Pulling at the clone, she wasn't even certain if woman was the right description. She placed it outside the bathroom and locked the door behind her as she turned the faucet and let steaming water cascade onto the tiled floor. She needed to feel clean, wash the sweat and smell of arousal from herself and let the warmth ease the kinks from her neck and spine.

As she tipped her head back and the water ran over her face she hoped she would be able to fix this. There was no way she wanted Henry to come visiting and find this vacant and expressionless version of his blonde mother. There would be no explaining that one away. Or if the real Emma came back, what would Regina tell her? The truth was definitely not an option, and although the clone didn't seem to travel far and could probably be easily hidden, there was no guarantee that would continue. She also would need to clothe it, having the clone discovered would be bad, having the clone discovered naked would be mortifying. Screwing her eyes shut tight Regina tried to push her thoughts and fears away. It didn't work as she seemed to be stuck with the image of Henry happily playing a video game in his bedroom when there was a crash, before with a flash of pale skin the naked clone jumped out of his closet scaring and embarrassing him half to death.

She was so angry at herself, she just couldn't stop self-sabotaging. She should have been content and not dabbled with the magic. With a huff she grabbed the towel and dried herself briskly. She threw on some clothes and went to dig out the scroll with the original spell on it.

In her study she summoned the aging paper from her vault. A little voice reminded her about her promise to Henry and she felt a touch of guilt but really, she had already messed up by using magic to create the clone, what was a little more?

She scanned the paper quickly and growled low in her throat. She knew magic was about carefully wording things and she knew from the first instruction where she had gone wrong. It was in the word _Organic._ The spell wanted something personal and organic, so blood, hair, finger nails, even semen for a male clone. Regina groaned, the plastic and manmade fibres from a toothbrush were not organic in any way. No wonder things had gone badly awry.

The spell mentioned a gradual fading away, as the organic component in the spell would have naturally rotted away in time, the magic would burn through it and accelerate this process. She wondered how long toothbrushes took to degrade. She wasn't an eco-fighter, she didn't know about landfill and the lifecycle of trash. She only really cared that once she put something on the curb for waste collection that it got taken far away, never to be seen again. She guessed she ought to google it, with some math calculations, that might give her an idea how long she would be saddled with the clone for.

Instead she got herself a drink, and then another. The empty house and loneliness was eating at her more and more. Without Emma to calm her ridiculous parents, Charming was strolling round with Henry like he hadn't shoved his own infant daughter into a magical wardrobe to suffer for twenty eight years. In his opinion he was an Ace Grandpa and unfortunately for Regina, Henry seemed to agree and enjoyed his company more than her own.

She hated she was related to them through Henry, but she loved the boy, so she would bite her tongue and put up with them. But gods was it hard. After Charming she thought about the rest of the rabble, Whale was a useless toad who eyed women like they were meat. Granny had some spark and fight, and truth be told Regina respected the older woman, but she was a minority. Then there was Gold, the man's smug grin was infuriating and she hated that he had manged to come through the curse with his power intact, people still fearing him rather than hating him for supplying the curse and manipulating her into casting it. She had taken all the blame while he swanned round Storybrooke, tapping his cane, summoning wraiths and no doubt still plotting.

Her thoughts turned ever darker and she lost herself in them, replaying the past and her actions that had ultimately been futile. She still hadn't got her happy ending, she had just wasted years, lost her power and magic in the old world to be no better off here in this one. She didn't even have Henry anymore and her blonde lover had jumped into a hat. She kept thinking it over, had Emma pushed her away, or had she willingly dived into the portal to avoid her? She didn't know anymore, she had thought Emma was being valiant, The Saviour, but as she drank more and things slipped around in her mind, she began to wonder. Maybe Emma didn't really want her, maybe the sex was just something to pass the time.

Draining another glass she noticed it was dark outside, she had been brooding for hours. She had got lost in the past, forgetting even the basics and her stomach twinged, reminding her she hadn't put any food in it all day. She had become consumed with her dark thoughts, and when she glanced at the bottle she realised she had been mechanically refilling and a good third of it was gone. She knew she'd made a mistake when she tried to stand and couldn't quite make it without a wobble.

Deciding to forego food she knew bed was the best place for her, but she cringed as she remembered she still hadn't done anything with the clone. It would be there in her room and she was in no state to deal with that now. Weaving slightly as she went to climb the stairs she decided to shut it in the bathroom, where it seemed most happy anyway. She'd deal with it in the morning, much as she would her hangover.

* * *

Something chimed, she knew the noise. If she could focus on anything other than the pain in her head she might recognise it. It was familiar, what was it? Her head was thumping, and she felt ill. Her eyes were almost stuck shut, she was face down in her own drool and she knew she had to move slowly. But anything other than delicate movements and she was likely to heave. She didn't need to have to clear up vomit on top of the state she was in.

The chiming noise happened again, off to her left. She stuck out her hand and found her phone half under the duvet. It was a text message, and if it had been from anyone other than Henry, she might have thrown the device away from her for daring to wake her. She was fragile, but her son wanted to see her, so she gingerly rose and started her morning routine. Only this morning it commenced with several painkillers, a few deep breaths when she thought they were going to come back up and navigating round a clone of Miss Swan.

Wondering whether the clone could be trusted in her house unattended she locked the front door and pushed it to the back of her mind. She couldn't very well find a clone sitter, and she refused to miss out on time with her son. It was just a chance she was going to have to take. She didn't think she looked too bad, her hair was set, her eyes weren't too bloodshot and she was heavily made up to hide the darkness under her eyes. She was dressed smartly, even for a lunch at Granny's she was in a matching skirt and blazer, designer heels and walked with her back straight, exuding a fake confidence. It was a feeling that had been lacking since her curse had been broken and she had been left completely alone, Emma had helped fill the loneliness but now she was gone too.

Shaking her head to clear the unconstructive thoughts she tried to think about Henry and what she might ask him. It was made more difficult because the bright sunlight made her headache worse and she knew she wasn't firing on all cylinders. Well that was at least familiar to her, she was a pro at projecting a facade and bluffing, even when she wasn't in control she always gave the impression she was, this was no different. _On with the show_ she thought to herself as she took another breath of the cool crisp air and convinced herself she wouldn't be sick in the street like a filthy peasant.

* * *

 _It was the clone's fault._

Regina stormed back to her house, rage evident in her eyes. She yanked open the door and slammed it, only then remembering her headache as the exertion made her blood pump and the noise of the door rattling in the frame made the pain flare up again.

Henry had wanted her help, her advice on magic, he hadn't really wanted to see her. And she had been hungover because of the clone, she had been on edge about leaving it unattended. It was all too much for her to handle, feeling unwell as she was and she had snapped at her darling boy. The one she was trying to be better for, the one she was trying to build a bridge with. The only person who's opinion mattered to her, and she had just lost her temper and the disappointed look in his eyes was making her heart clench at just the memory.

 _Where was the bloody clone?_ She thought, her anger buzzing through her veins and causing a faint magical shimmer on her skin. She went straight to her bedroom and confronted the source of her problems as she saw it. Shouting abuse did nothing to alleviate her anger or the underlying emotion that was driving everything, fear she had lost Henry and sadness. Sadness she had failed again, and sadness that Henry would still only see her as The Evil Queen.

But anger was easy, anger was familiar so she set about taking it out on the blonde, pushing the useless lump with a shove made powerful with her magic until it had been thrown across the room and landed in a pile of limbs on the floor. And even then it just sat there, it didn't even raise its head.

And that was when Regina realised this was pointless, she felt numb, she felt nothing about hurting it. There was only any pleasure when you saw fear in the eyes or a pained grimace, or the clenching of the jaw that indicated you had succeeded but they weren't about to vocalize it. The clone didn't respond at all and that was thoroughly unsatisfying.

But deep down, she also knew that any pleasure she took from hurting people was fleeting, that's why as The Queen she had a dungeon full of prisoners, and her punishments had over time become more abusive and severe. Because she had built a tolerance to other's pain, so by the end of her reign to feel any satisfaction from the torturing process she had always wanted to inflict more, ultimately even death hadn't sated her blood lust and that was when she knew she was at her lowest.

She had sunk so far back then, but she had spent twenty eight years without magic and for the most part, not inflicting physical pain. She was better than The Evil Queen, she had a reason to be, and trying to damage the clone, wasn't helping, wasn't right and was a regression. She needed a better coping mechanism, because currently her head was in a mess. As she looked at her hands, hands that had pulsed with magic when she lost control, she shoved them into the pockets of the blazer and turned on her heel, exiting the room to give herself some time and space.

* * *

She had sat at the kitchen counter and dialled Henry's cell. He was probably still sulking with her, so she left a message apologising for being rude to him, reminding him that she loved him and that she wanted to speak to him when he had time. She only hoped he would ring back, or being the technological child he was, probably text her. She didn't really care, as long as he returned her communication, but while she waited and tried not to keep watching her cell she needed something to keep her busy.

She still hadn't looked into how long she might be saddled with the clone, so she went to her study and booted up the desktop computer, keeping her phone close.

Regina stared at the screen of her computer and wanted to throttle something. The anger was mostly aimed at herself, but she had always struggled with taking responsibility. Hurting someone else had always more satisfying. _The clone didn't fight back last time_ she mused, before shaking her head. That wasn't fair on the poor unfortunate, she didn't know whether it might feel pain and even if it didn't, it looked like Emma and that was reason to be careful. Once was a loss of control, letting it happen again and having her own Emma doll to batter couldn't be considered healthy. It was likely to become a head-fuck, blurring too many lines that shouldn't be crossed.

The reason for her current frustration was the knowledge toothbrushes took hundreds of years to rot away, the plastic behaving nothing like human skin and muscle. People decomposed quickly, without the aid of anything to break them down, leaving behind a skeleton in about ten years. If she took it that a toothbrush lasted about four-hundred years, she had to take the length of time a clone usually lasted and multiply that by 40. Most clones she had created were in the late evening and were gone by the time morning rolled round, so she worked with the average time a clone existed was between 4-5 hours. That gave her 160 to 200 hours of clone time using her factor of 40. That was approximately a week, possibly 8 days. And even then, that might not mean the end of the clone, this was all just an assumption, a theory to be tested.

What was she going to do with it for another week? Assuming it disappeared in that time frame. All she thought at that moment was _It had better_.

This was a mess. Her nerves were frayed and it had only been a few days.

Unhelpfully her mind began replaying the earlier scene, she had just assaulted the thing, and something foreign began to brew in the pit of her stomach. She wondered if she was going to be sick, the hangover finally catching up with her, before she finally placed that is was guilt. Guilt for reacting and punishing a mindless object for her own failings. Her shoulders slumped, she felt completely drained, defeated even. She wanted to be better, but it was so difficult to change a lifetime of experience.

Now she wasn't homicidal, she was still defensive, she took offense and angered easily. She knew she was tightly wound, and it had protected her, allowed her to cope throughout harrowing experiences in her life. The murder of her young lover, her horrendous marriage. The death of her father at her own hand, countless other deaths she had ordered or done herself. She was scared if she began to let go she might unravel violently, continuing until there was nothing left.

She bowed her head, tears falling as she struggled. There was familiar self-loathing, but now she had a chance to put it right. She hadn't taken it too far and it wasn't broken beyond repair. She could help Charming like Henry wanted and smooth things with her son. And she still had the clone, she was pretty certain no permanent harm had been done to it.

She grudgingly got up and decided to at least pick it up from the floor. Another thought occurred that she would need to find clothes for it, just in case. All it would take was for the look-a-like to get too close to a window and some nosey peasant to see it and jump to god only knew what conclusions. At least with clothes she could pass the clone off as a normal person from a distance.

She stood at the entrance to her bedroom and took a moment. Her house was deathly still and she hated it. She wished she could be positive, she wished she understood Henry's belief that things would be alright in the end. But she had always struggled to see past the immediate problems, to stop being swallowed by the pain and suffering.

She sighed, it was never too late to change, Henry believed in everyone else, she need to show him she had been trying and that she could also be redeemed. She needed to find a positive with the clone and work towards it, embrace it even. Perhaps the way to approach this was that it was only a week, it could always be worse. She tried to reason with herself, but a lifetime of seeing the bad, of thinking the worse and reaching out for the darkness held her back.

She shrugged, best she just get on with it, clothe the clone of Miss Swan, hide it and hope that the next few days pass quickly. She doubted that, time without Henry, Emma and a real job had started to crawl, but there wasn't another option to hand. She took another deep breath, wiped at her damp cheeks and slipped open the door.

* * *

Pulling out some old sweatpants and a loose fitting t-shirt she did yoga in she maneuvered the clone and raised its leg to pull it through the hole of the waist and then down the leg of the material of the sweatpants. Running her hand up the leg she realised the feel of the clone was wrong, it was smooth, the surface not supple like flesh. It felt like plastic, cool and hard to the touch and Regina quickly pulled up the pants to look closer at her creation.

It looked different to that first night, if Regina was honest she had paid no attention last night or when abusing it earlier. All she had cared about last night was being glad it was out of sight as she practically passed out. Looking carefully now she saw it was becoming shiny, harder to the touch, the traces of humanity seemed to be eclipsed by the plastic, slowly Regina realised it was transforming. It had been made from stands of chemicals, and those toxins were predominant in the clone's structure. The small part that had been Emma, the organic part, was fading away as was usual and what it was leaving behind was the toothbrush. Growling her irritation Regina looked at her failed project. She was going to be left with a plastic shell, but she had no idea how it would react as any humanity drained away to be replaced with, well what? It was all unknown and she had Henry to worry about, Charming still mistrustful of her and no-one to confide in. She would bet her life Gold could help, but she'd rather suffer alone than admit to her old teacher she had made a mistake and wanted his help or advice.

She felt the magic flare and almost gave in to the fireball that threatened to warm her palm, but she closed her eyes and breathed deep. She wasn't even certain setting the thing on fire would help. She might just be left with a molten lump of plastic, her house would be thick with the smell of acrid smoke and maybe, just maybe, the blonde thing was sentient. If it had feelings she could be inflicting pain on it and despite her moniker being Evil, she had grown to accept this was her fault and hurting the poor thing that looked like Emma wasn't fair. Finally, the last unpleasant thought in her process was that at some point hurting Miss Swan, unless they were intimate and begging each other for it, had lost its appeal. That was a scary revelation and she buried it as quickly as it had surfaced.

She shook her head, she had become soft, Henry and Emma's influence had stolen her edge. They had manipulated her nature, changed her into a caring, more rounded, considerate person. Yes she was still angry, and yes her past still cut into her life a knife, but she could function like a proper human being now. She could be analytical and knew she shouldn't immediately seek to punish or inflict bodily harm. She struggled, admittedly, but she had some control over her more base and basic desires and she could stop the darkness swirling if she concentrated on her son.

She pulled the t-shirt on over its pretty head, man handling the clone's arms through the sleeves. She looked at it then, wondering if it had any feelings, if it had conscious thought. Certainly it had been staring in the bathroom like it had some very basic cognitive function. Regina found herself comparing it to something like a bug, possibly a snail. The desire to survive was there, they ate, drank and seeked protection from the elements, but higher functions eluded it. If she had hurt it earlier it gave no sign, but that didn't mean it didn't feel, she suspected it might have initially had a basic nervous system but if any remained now the plastic was taking over she couldn't be sure.

If the clone had feelings, or any desires at all, she did feel guilty but she had no idea what to do with it to make it comfortable. It couldn't speak, and it didn't express emotion on its face or in its body. In fact the body was rather more rigid than it had been last night, yet another sign it was evolving into more toothbrush than organic matter.

Regina decided she could at least give it some external stimulation, she had clothed it and it had a roof over its head, so she was providing for it like it was an absurd pet. She took it down the hallway to the guest bedroom and flicked on the TV, seating the thing that looked like a woman in a chair facing the colours of electricity that bounded across the screen.

She went downstairs and made it some soup, not knowing whether it needed sustenance, but even her prisoners in her dungeon got scraps, she would leave the offered food and see if it was eaten. How she had become like this she couldn't even begin to fathom. She was treating the clone like a child and she wondered if somehow she was suffering empty nest syndrome without Henry. Or was it just that she had so much time on her hands that she needed to be busy, she needed a distraction, and a clone of a nearly thirty year old fitted the bill. She wouldn't lower herself to anything else, she'd feed the damned thing if needed and then just check on it intermittently to ensure it didn't run off. That was all she was going to do, that was all her guilt required her to do.

* * *

How she found herself later that evening reading to it she had no idea. Well, she had every idea, but she wasn't admitting it out loud. She had stood in Henry's doorway, feeling tears burning behind her eyes at his absence. And she had been so lonely that for some reason visiting the clone had seemed like a good idea. She could talk to it and she no longer mistrusted it. Throwing it across the room and it remaining passive seemed to have changed her view on it.

Plus it would never blab her secrets like Snow had done so long ago. It had sat quietly all day, had been patient and eaten its food. It allowed her close to it, despite her behaviour and for that she felt it deserved some company and stimulus that wasn't the inane TV shows she had left it with. So she had gone into the guest bedroom, feeling a little self-conscious at first. But as she began to speak, to unburden herself she felt the feeling slip away. She had spoken about her day, her week, hell she had touched on some of the historic parts of her life and then got her book and sat on the edge of the bed reading a few chapters out loud. Just being able to speak, breaking the silence in the house, she found the words soothed her and she hoped they did something similar to the blonde.

She smiled at the clone, she felt more relaxed that she had in days after reading and it was time for bed. The clone still sat rigidly in the chair and Regina crossed to it, pulling it to its feet. It was getting heavier and the movements it exhibited were stiff and the brunette knew the plastic was taking over. She got it moving and under the covers, tucking it in as she denied to herself that was what she was doing. She was just keeping it warm. It was a glorified and stupid lump of plastic and if any of the peasants found out she was caring for it they would be questioning her sanity, she was trying really hard not to question it herself.

She left the bedside lamp on and closed the door, walking to her room and sinking into her soft sheets and plush pillows. Having slept poorly the night before she drifted away quite easily, her lips quirking at memories of Henry and his blonde mother running round her backyard.

* * *

She woke, and knew her body clock had finally reset itself. It was morning, the grey and dim light couldn't compete with the curtains and the room was still dark. She felt better, she stretched, shaking out her muscles. She was hungry, missing meals and replacing them with whiskey hadn't helped and she was looking forward to some toast with preserve.

She got out of bed, grabbed her robe, tying it round her waist and going downstairs to the kitchen. As she put the coffee maker on her stomach rumbled at the pleasing smell that began to fill the kitchen.

She made herself the toast and got a bowl of porridge for the clone. The soup had seemed to be the right thing, so Regina made something equally simple for it to eat for breakfast. After she placed the pan and her plate in the sink to wash later she grabbed a towel and folded underneath the hot porcelain of the bowl. She could then carry it so she wouldn't burn her fingers. Taking care she climbed the stairs and went to the guestroom, pushing the door gently and setting the bowl on top of the chest of drawers.

She looked over at the clone and immediately knew it was much worse. It was completely rigid, there was no flex at the neck and any colour had almost completely drained away. Any hair on its head had fused together and become a yellow shell and she suspected the porridge was a lost cause. She doubted it could open either eyes or mouth right now.

Pulling up a chair beside the bed she checked the clone's forehead, it was cold and hard beneath her hand. She only hoped this was the beginning of the end and her calculations were wrong. If the clone had feelings and from it eating Regina thought it might have some kind of basic nerve and muscle memory, then it would be suffering and this could go on for several more days yet.

She had left the book on the bedside table and picked it up, reading softly where she had left off last night. She didn't really know why, in a very bizarre twist of events she thought she might be trying to offer comfort. Comfort to something she was disappointed in, was created because of a mis-read spell, and was little more than a mistake. Sometimes her own behaviour baffled her, even repulsed her, because this was weak and pointless. Only if she was talking about repulsive behaviour at least this time it wasn't ripping out and crushing a heart. This at least was only a waste of her time and no-one need ever find out.

So she continued to read, occasionally patting what once was a hand, the fingers were no longer distinct or separate. It looked more like a fat, ridged spatula. She kept reading, only getting up to get herself some water for her throat that became parched from the constant speaking. She read to the end of the book, several hours' worth and had been focusing on the pages rather than the clone. When she did look she noticed another change. As she leaned over to confirm she realised it was beginning to fade, the colour leeching away and she was able to just about make out the pattern of the duvet resting beneath its hand.

As the clone faded, Regina sat still and thought about the last few days. It had been difficult, but she had found some solace with not being alone. She didn't do well with time to think, she went to a dark place and it then became a bitter cycle where she tended to lash out and made things worse. She missed Henry, but the fact she had made the clone, she couldn't deny, she missed Emma too. There was a time, not too long ago, that she would never have admitted that, but somehow as the nearest thing she had to a friend disappeared in front of her eyes, she knew she wanted Emma in her life. She wanted a friend, she wanted someone to talk to, to listen to her moan when she'd had a bad day and while she loved Henry, she couldn't burden him with that, she needed adult company. And that company, well the preferable choice was a blonde nightmare with a questionable family tree, a gluttonous streak if cheese or pastry were offered and an insatiable sexual appetite.

God Regina hoped she could bring her home, even if she had to bring Snow White back with her.

* * *

Emma had returned from the Enchanted Forest earlier in the day and she was exhausted. She smelt of forest and ogre and she needed a long, hot shower and a good night's sleep. But she also needed to thank Regina, so she was at the door to 108 Mifflin. In fact there were a whole load of things she needed to tell Regina and "thank you" was just the tip of the iceberg. Having come across Cora, Emma now understood so much more about her lover. She already knew Regina had a past, and that discussing it wasn't something they did. Emma wasn't complaining, it meant she could keep her secrets to herself too.

After meeting Cora, it was blatantly clear the woman enjoyed destroying life, laughter and happiness. It explained why Regina was so guarded, and so damaged. And Emma had nothing but respect for the woman, who had so much love and patience for her son when she had had no role model herself to base it on.

And Emma had realised something while she was away. She missed the brunette. She cared. She knew before she fell into the portal she had strong feelings, they had hated each other and then progressed to violent sex. The sex had become more passionate in recent times and she had wanted to save the older woman from the wraith, but she now knew why that was. She had formed a connection with Regina, they were similar, understood one another and shared a son. Her feelings weren't of hate anymore, they were something fresh and different and she wanted to explore them.

And maybe, from Regina's behaviour, she might want that too. Emma knew she had absorbed a death curse to bring her back safely. David had grudgingly admitted Regina had helped him and been there to support Henry in Emma's absence and she just hoped the older woman was changing. Emma didn't expect miracles, but it seemed she might be beginning to learn to open up and deserved some trust.

Twisting her hands nervously she knocked on the door and waited. She didn't know what to expect, would Regina listen to her, had Regina missed her too? Emma hated the way her gut lurched, fear of rejection mixing with her need to see the brunette and touch her. Emma knew if this went badly she would be hurt, and likely Henry would get caught back up in a tug-of-war between them both as they tried to one-up the other again.

She was finally put out of her misery as the door swung open and a tired set of eyes locked on hers.

Emma let out a squeak of surprise as she was pulled over the threshold and into arms that held her close. She had never in her wildest dreams thought that would happen. She had envisioned awkward conversation, maybe a few drinks to give her courage to say the things she needed to, but the open display from the brunette truly surprised her. Stroking her hands up the silk blouse Regina wore, Emma breathed in her scent, the perfume, the smell of her shampoo in her hair.

Pulling back slightly she looked into eyes that should have been guarded. They usually were. They almost always told her _don't push_ or were rolling at her to imply her comment was stupid. But right now they were bright, hopeful.

"Regina..." she started but found a finger shushing her.

"But I..." she tried again, because now she was here she knew she couldn't let the words go unsaid.

"I know." Was all the brunette told her, because she had been observing the blonde while she shuffled on the porch. And in Emma's nervous stance she had hoped she had seen more than just a woman who wanted to get laid. When their eyes had connected she knew she'd been right, there was something about the way Emma looked at her, like she was precious, that gave her feelings away.

Regina knew she had been missed just as much as she had been missing the blonde, and all she had wanted to do was sooth her nerves. She wanted to be close to her after so long being forced apart, so she held her, hands gently touching, reacquainting. And the biggest indication she had got it right, was that Emma didn't struggle, she just melted into the embrace.

After a few minutes Emma became self conscious prompting her to say, "Much as I love holding you, can I please use your shower?" Emma broke the moment with a lop-sided smile.

"The one just off the master suite?" Regina asked with a raise of her eyebrow.

"Yeah, that would be perfect." Emma beamed at her.

"I might find a few spare moments to join you." Regina jabbed playfully back and the look of horror that crossed Emma face made her heart clench. Her face must have shown it because immediately Emma was reassuring her,

"I'd love that, but you need to give me a good twenty minutes to wash this godforsaken forest smell off me, I stink." Accompanied by the capture of the brunette hand and a gentle squeeze Emma tried to catch the brunette's eye and when she did she saw her words had saved the situation.

"Would you like anything, a snack or a drink after you are clean?" Regina didn't intend to linger on the way her heart flipped and went back to beating again, she ignored her brief weakness by changing the topic.

"No thanks, I think I'll manage to find something to eat later." Emma winked at her innuendo as she started to climb the stairs and swatted the brunette's ass as she passed just to ensure her point had been received loud and clear.

"Mmmmm" Regina just hummed after her, shaking her head at the ridiculous woman and the equally ridiculous one left stood in the entrance hall.

* * *

Leaving the requested twenty minutes was becoming difficult. She had paced. She had put on the radio but couldn't find any songs she liked and found it difficult to concentrate on the talk show that was currently serving as background noise. She had got a bottle of white wine out of the fridge three times and put it back just as many. Emma liked beer didn't she? She didn't have any. Should she drive to the all night store and get some? Finally the counter on her phone hit twenty minutes and she grabbed it as she made her way upstairs. She had begun shedding clothes by the second step, buttons were undone by her own shaking fingers and she had to stop on the landing and tell herself to calm down.

She took a few deep breaths, berating herself because she was behaving like this was their first time as teenagers, not seasoned players of an age old game. But when she looked at this honestly, this was their first time, because before this point they had only ever been engaging in cheap though satisfying sex. Tonight, well Regina wasn't sure what it was, but it wasn't as meaningless as a casual fuck.

Steam greeted her as she opened the bathroom door and she heard the blonde humming a tune over the splash of the water. Regina was already naked, the cool air in the house making her nipples erect, thoughts of Emma naked adding to it. The blonde had her head under the spray, her back to the brunette as she advanced quietly and then they were sandwiched together, Regina snaking her greedy and questing hands round Emma's waist, tracing her stomach muscles. One hand went up, cupping a breast, while she breathed into the blonde's ear, "I take it you are clean now?"

"Yeah." Emma nodded against her, "Much better."

"Well savour it" Regina told her huskily, "because I intend to make you aroused, hot, sweaty and definitely in need of another shower come the morning."

"Bring it on My Queen." Emma told her, spinning round and capturing the plump and devious mouth with her own. As Emma had started the kiss, Regina deepened it with her tongue slipping into the blonde's mouth and sucking on the hot, flexing muscle.

Emma's back hit the tiles of the wall and she gasped as they were cold on her wet skin. They were away from the warm spray of the shower and she had a fleeting thought about being eco efficient and saving the water before Regina's body crashed into hers and she spread her legs slightly to help them meld, Regina settling with one leg nestling between hers while the brunette found herself straddling a pale strong thigh. Emma knew as she felt the brunette grind down on her leg that this was escalating quickly. She thought about it momentarily, whether she was happy and she decided that yes, anything that still needed to be said, could wait. This wasn't a quick finish where she'd be thrown out the door immediately after. Although, it still might be a quick finish the way the brunette was roughly palming her breasts and smearing her desire along Emma's thigh.

Emma could admit, she had a healthy addition to sex. She enjoyed it, and she used it to relieve stress when things got too much for her. So to have been stuck with her own Mother in the Enchanted Forest, she had been gone weeks and she was wound up, and definitely hadn't been able to take the edge off in her usual way. So from the minute she had kissed Regina she knew she was dripping with want, and Regina wasn't calming her down or trying to make her be patient. In fact Regina was fanning the flames, pushing her body and if Emma didn't slow things she'd come embarrassingly quickly, a shaking mess in Regina's shower after hardly being touched.

Emma felt her stomach sink, she had opened her mouth, flirting and pushing the brunette and now she might fail to back it up. She couldn't finish like that, desperate and dirty. She reached down and stilled the brunette hips, kissing her neck and nibbling at her earlobe as she put just a little more distance between them.

Confusion looked back at her and she realised how dry her mouth was, she had to clear her throat to get the words to come out, and they were still broken and husky, her desire clear, or at least she hoped it was because she didn't want Regina thinking this was a rejection. This wasn't a stop, this was a slowdown and Emma needed to think how to word it. She struggled as all the blood was rushing round her body, ending up in her swollen folds and clit that was beating its own rhythm against Regina's leg.

Taking Regina's face in her hands she kissed her slowly, trying to convey love, longing, anything to remove the confusion from chocolate orbs.

She dropped her hands to the supple flesh of the brunette's ass and traced patterns over the sensitive skin there, "I'm sorry" she whispered, "I'm really sensitive and already really close. I just needed to slow things down." She kissed her again, a chaste press of lips before she added, "I didn't want to come on your leg after some quick foreplay. I want it to last."

"Oh Emma." Regina sighed, kissing her back. "You are an adorable idiot." This time the confusion was in green eyes and Regina chuckled, the sound rich and deep and Emma felt her heart bang hard in her chest. She wasn't certain she had ever heard a genuine laugh fall from the woman's lips before and it was beautiful.

"We have all night. I don't plan on stopping after just one orgasm, not for either of us." She winked and the blonde smiled softly, still blushing slightly. She licked her lips wanting to say something, but the action had the brunette watching her, eyes pulled to the pale softness.

Knowing this wasn't like before, where Regina would have seen Emma wanting to speak, but ignoring it to get on with the physical between them, she didn't pounce and take the kiss she wanted, she instead dragged her eyes away from the lips she desired and tilted Emma's head, allowing the blonde to vocalise her thoughts.

"I was away for like weeks." Emma pouted, "I haven't...I mean..." She was blushing heavily now and Regina reached down to clasp her hand, to cease the babbling.

"You haven't been intimate with anyone, even yourself while you were away, and now you're overstimulated?" Regina finished for her, eloquently putting what Emma had struggled with.

"Yeah." Emma nodded.

"You know it wouldn't bother me if you came in seconds as long as it was all over my fingers." Regina smirked at her and felt the breath Emma sucked in as she trapped her lip between her teeth.

"Really?" Emma asked quietly as Regina caressed her stomach and pressed herself back into the blonde's space.

All Emma felt was the nod of a brunette head as teeth latched onto her neck and the hand on her stomach dipped lower, spreading her folds. Regina was slower, it wasn't the frenzied attack Emma had expected. She was gentle, teasing Emma with the tip of her index finger, swiping from back to front and enjoying the way Emma jerked as her clit was caught before she retraced her movements back to her entrance, gathering more moisture and repeating the gesture over and over.

And Emma was whimpering, nipples hard and straining, until the brunette took her lips and swallowed the sounds of pleasure before saying, "Can I slip a finger inside now?"

Emma allowed her head to fall back to the tiles behind her, her eyes almost closed as she spread her legs further and pushed her hips out, a silent plea for the brunette to do as she had suggested. And Regina did, using one hand to massage Emma's slippery clit, while she eased two fingers into her channel, wrapping her fingers in the warmth that was Miss Swan's clenching pussy.

And still Regina didn't pick up the pace, she thrust shallow and gentle, stimulating the blonde, rubbing Emma's walls as she continued to stroke circles round her hard little pearl, listening to Emma's breathing become laboured, harsh in the smaller space of the bathroom.

"Regina...oh god...Babe" Emma was close to losing it and Regina entered her fully, a few harder thrusts and Emma was writhing against her fingers. She pressed even closer and nipped at her earlobe as she told her lover, "Come for me Darling."

And Emma dutifully followed, her body wrapped round Regina as she convulsed, her hands grasping at wet olive toned flesh as she sought an anchor as the orgasm crashed through her. And she was so glad Regina had built her up, had taken her time, had made love to her. Despite being in the shower, it had meant something. They had spoken rather than just ravishing each other and Emma felt the warmth and glow spread not just through her muscles but through her heart and soul.

As Regina leaned back with her smug smirk she had her fingers to her mouth, licking Emma's essence from them and moaning at the taste.

Emma let her, watching the hooded lustful eyes as the brunette finally pulled her hand free and the blonde crashed her lips to the brunette's, thanking her, trying to communicate the feelings coursing through her body. But she decided actions would be better and bent quickly to pick up the brunette. Being left with no choice Regina wrapped her arms round the blonde's waist and allowed herself to be carried in to the bedroom.

"Miss Swan!" she tried to reprimand as she was still wet from the shower and she was dropped onto her sheets, making the bed damp, before Emma crawled on top of her and kissed her with more passion than she had ever felt before. Any further protests she had died as Emma stormed her mouth, nipping with her teeth as she pulled back, holding Regina's plump bottom lip hostage before releasing it.

Emma wasted no time in descending her body, peppering kisses as she went. Taking up a position laying on her belly looking up at the brunette through her bent and parted legs she breathed deeply the woman's arousal. She spread Regina open and then licked her own lips at the sight granted her. But she didn't have the patience she ought to have to tease, to go slow. She wanted the woman in her mouth, riding her tongue so she dived in, suckling and nipping at the arousal ripened flesh before using her tongue to the length of Regina, drinking the woman's nectar from the source before running up to her clit and sucking at it.

And as Regina bucked into her face and gripped her still damp hair to hold her in place Emma grinned, knowing she was giving her want she needed.

She snaked a hand back up the brunette's body and toyed with a hard nipple, and sighed when she felt Regina grasp the hand and press it harder into her breast, both of them massaging and heightening the older woman's pleasure. Her other hand found Regina's clit and she took to flicking it with the tip of her finger as her tongue delved into her, fucking her. And the brunette obviously approved, managing to hook a leg over Emma's shoulder, pulling her closer before holding her in place with a heel digging in her back. Emma didn't mind the stab of pain that came with the action, she knew Regina was just being greedy and the fact the woman wanted more of her, wanted her closer thrilled her.

She increased the pace of the fingers rubbing over her clit, grazing with teeth as she heard Regina moaning and the sound coming more often as she neared her peak.

Emma felt the clenching, the tightness around her tongue as the brunette's legs began to shake signalling her impending release. Emma worked harder, using her tongue and fingers in tandem to drive the woman off the edge as legs clamped round her head and a strangled cry of her name was released along with liquid heat that flooded her mouth. And she continued to lick, capturing all the moisture the brunette had to give, letting her ride out the high before kissing her thighs, her mound and her stomach as she worked her way back up the brunette's spent body.

Emma snuggled into the woman, letting the silence sit between them as Regina allowed her breathing to return to somewhere near normal. After a few minutes Emma began to shift nervously and Regina turned on her side to study her, staying close but giving Emma some space to organise her thoughts.

"Regina tonight was different, wasn't it?" The blonde sounded uncertain again, her hands jumpy and Regina grasped them and clasping them together brought them to her lips and kissed between the knuckles.

"Yes, it was." Regina confirmed.

"You're going to make me do this the hard way aren't you?" Emma sighed at the older woman, knowing sometimes getting anything from her was like pulling teeth, only teeth pulling was possible. If Regina dug her heels in, nothing was shifting her or changing her mind or getting her to open up. Emma didn't think after the last hour that was what was happening, but sometimes the brunette closed up really quickly or Emma just failed to read her.

"I have no idea what you are referring to Miss Swan." She replied haughtily, but Emma was certain there was a smile hidden there. She pushed, because that was what they did.

"Miss Swan, really? After I was tongue deep in you minutes ago?"

"Well that's crude." Regina teased back and Emma saw it then, the smile and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Can I ask you something?" The brunette queried and it was then Emma realised she was just as nervous, she just hide it so much better.

"Of course." Emma confirmed and there was a slow and shy looking smile beginning to light up the brunette's face and Emma thought she was beautiful. Even more beautiful than usual, because in that moment she was unguarded, it was rare and special and she hoped beyond hope she'd get more chances to make the older woman smile like that.

"Why did you come here to shower? Surely you have running water at the apartment?"

"I came to thank you." Emma looked away as she mumbled the rest, "And to tell you that I'd missed you while I was away." Suddenly studying the pattern of the duvet Emma didn't see the light bloom and take over the whole of Regina's face, not until hands grasped her face and lifted her chin just before she kissed her with depth and meaning, cementing the words between them.

Not that words needed to be said, but the brunette added anyway, "I missed you too." before pulling the woman closer and allowing the kisses to slowly spread to other parts of each other's bodies.

* * *

Regina woke to an empty bed. She stretched out her arm and only found empty sheet and shook her head. Running again, she thought but the usual anger didn't come this time. Instead she rolled her shoulders and relished the way her body ached from the work out Emma had given her the night before.

She knew that Emma hadn't gone far, she knew there would be other nights where they could talk and work out what was happening between them. Emma had promised it last night and Regina believed her. There were many questions and obstacles, but they had been truthful with each other and were both prepared to investigate what existed between them.

As the brunette swung her legs out of the bed and into the soft carpeted floor she heard a noise in the hallway. Maybe Emma hadn't run off and she had too harshly judged her, but then what could she be doing out there? Coffee Regina guessed. It wasn't like the blonde would have made breakfast, her skills in that department were her homing ability to locate Granny's, not cooking herself.

But Regina was wrong as the blonde pushed open the door and grinned at her.

"You're up." She greeted, leaning against the door frame in just her shorts. Regina raked her eyes down her naked torso and smiled back.

"I am, I see being away hasn't dimmed your observational skills."

"Ha, very funny." The blonde quipped back. "Do you know where my toothbrush is? I'm sure I left one in the guest bathroom."

"Why do you ask?" Regina skirted the question, not being prepared to share her clone nightmare with the blonde.

"Because it is still early and I was hoping we could start where we left off, after I brushed away the morning breath." Emma looked at her with hungry eyes.

Regina decided at that moment to go with an omission, she didn't need to arouse the suspicion of Emma's superpower. No-one had been hurt or was ever likely to find out, she had cleared up her own mess quite adeptly. She was never going to tell Emma about the clone, she didn't need to know. She also knew with a cold and hard certainty that she had no intention of letting the real thing go now she was back. With her signature smirk and a raise of the eyebrow she lowered her voice an octave.

"Sod morning breath and come here."


End file.
